Nearly every week there are RASFF Alerts about Salmonella found in imported Betel leaves are also known as ‘Paan leaf’, ‘Betel quid’ and ‘piper betle’
Betel leaves can be dated back over 2,000 years where in India they were offered to guests as a polite custom and called, ‘Paan-Supari’. This is a custom that was brought over to England by the South Asian community.
In 2011, over 140 cases of microbiological contamination in betel leaves were discovered by EU member states.
Imported mainly into the UK and Germany, interestingly from 2012, Paan exports have made a profit over £40 million due to its popularity within South Asian communities.
Imported mainly from Bangladesh, Thailand and India, there was a temporary ban in 2014-2015 of leaves from Bangladesh.
As reported by EU’s RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed), paan is considered to be a major cause of salmonella in the UK.
Paan leaves are consumed raw. Paan is often chewed raw as a palate cleanser or to aid digestion.
It would appear that poor handling techniques and the difficulty in sterilisation of the delicate leaves may be the issue. The water that the leaves are soaked in can also be contaminated with Salmonella
FoodWorld 